Vendor included free duplicate without asking
That's a solid surprise. I've had a vendor do that before, toss in an extra, and it honestly makes you feel like being a repeat customer actually means something. Mind sharing who it was? Always good to know the ones that really look out for their regulars like that.
Yeah, I've had that happen a couple times. It's a nice surprise, and honestly, makes me way more likely to stick with them for future orders. Pretty smart way to build loyalty without saying a word.
Yeah, I've had that happen before too, and honestly it came in clutch when one of my IDs got confiscated. Definitely a solid move by the vendor to include a backup without even asking. Really shows they care about their customers, you know? Saves you from having to reorder right away.
Just wanted to share a pretty wild experience I had with a vendor I've been using for a while now. Opened my package the other day and there were two identical pieces inside – no note, no extra charge on the invoice, nothing. At first I thought I had ordered two by mistake, but when I checked my order history, I had only paid for one. My best guess is it was a bonus for being a returning customer, since I've placed a few orders with this vendor over the past year. Definitely unexpected, but I’m not complaining. Got a backup now without even asking.
Let me break down the full timeline and details so you guys can see how the whole thing went down. I placed the order on a Tuesday evening. Payment was via the usual BTC method – they confirmed the transaction within about 45 minutes, which is pretty standard. The order status went from "pending" to "shipped" roughly 48 hours later. Then it took 8 days from the "shipped" notification to hit my mailbox. So total from order placement to delivery, we're looking at about 11 days. That’s consistent with their previous shipping times for domestic (within the US). No weird delays in customs or anything, which is always a relief.
Packaging stealth was on point. Outer box was a standard Priority Mail flat rate box with a generic return address – some random residential name. Inside, there was a folded piece of cardboard that I thought was just padding, but it actually had the goods heat-sealed in a Mylar bag inside that. No vacuum seal this time, but the Mylar was thick enough that there was zero smell even when I held it up close. The piece itself was then inside a small plastic sleeve, so no scratching. Everything was completely flat and rigid, couldn’t feel anything through the cardboard. No rattles or crinkles either – they taped the whole thing down. Definitely passable for any casual inspection.
Communication wise, I didn’t really need to reach out for this order, but I had contacted them a few weeks prior about a tracking question on a different pack. They responded within about 3 hours, which is solid for a non-urgent inquiry. The reply was polite and gave me the updated tracking info without any attitude. For this specific order, I didn't message them about the duplicate – just opened it up and saw two. No email or note explaining why, which is fine by me, but might be confusing for someone who doesn't check their order carefully.
Value for Money (VFM) rating: I’d give this a solid 9/10 considering the base price was already decent – I think I paid about market average for a single. But getting that second piece for free effectively cut my per-unit cost in half. That’s insane value. Even if the duplicate was just a fluke or a QC leftover, I’ll take it. The quality of both pieces was identical – same weight, same thickness, same precise edge finishing. No noticeable differences in the microprint or UV features. I compared them side by side with a loupe and they're clearly from the same production run.
Now for the specific pros and cons based on this experience:
Pros:
- Free duplicate without any request – huge bonus for repeat customers.
- Consistent quality – both pieces were flawless, no manufacturing defects.
- Fast shipping turnaround – 48 hours from payment to shipped is above average.
- Good stealth packaging – no smell, no rattling, looks like regular mail.
- Decent communication response time when I did need help previously.
Cons:
- Lack of explanation – a simple "thanks for being a returning customer" note would have been nice, just so I knew it wasn't a shipping error.
- No tracking updates between "shipped" and delivery – the tracking number didn't show any movement for about 4 days, which was a little nerve-wracking.
- Slightly longer total delivery time than some other vendors I've used (I've had 7 day turnarounds before), but 11 days is still within acceptable range.
- The Mylar bag wasn't vacuum-sealed this time – not a dealbreaker, but a bit less stealthy than their previous packaging.
Overall, I’m definitely happy with how this turned out. The free duplicate feels like a reward for loyalty, and it encourages me to keep using them. If you’re a returning customer, maybe you’ll get lucky too – but don’t expect it every time. I’ve ordered from them maybe five times before and this is the first time I got an extra. Still